


Another Cinderella Story

by Anonymous



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Crack, M/M, Stiletto Heels, Walmart, markhyuck, nomin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:47:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29442114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: In hindsight, squeezing his feet into the red stilettos probably wasn't the smartest thing Jaemin's ever done.It was all Hyuck's fault.
Relationships: Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11
Collections: NCT Walmart Fic Fest R1





	Another Cinderella Story

People always said never to judge a man until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes.

Jaemin believed that people _should_ have said never to judge a woman until you’ve walked a block in her heels. Because he had only been teetering around in the ones on his feet for ten minutes and his legs were already screaming for mercy.

They were passing through the women’s wear section of their local Walmart when Donghyuck suddenly asked, “Hey, you’ve been working out your pecs lately right?”

Jaemin was still struggling to strut in his borrowed stilettos and answered with an offhand, “Yup.”

“I think this one’s in your size.”

Donghyuck grinned evilly before he flung a random bra from the discarded clothing cart at Jaemin. It landed on his face and he flailed about, vision obscured in pink lace. Donghyuck cackled with laughter.

“Um…”

Jaemin felt the blood drain from his face at the sound of the familiarly awkward voice.

Donghyuck needed some pictures for his photojournalism class, which he had to take if he wanted to graduate that year from the hellhole they called high school. Somehow he managed to convince Jaemin that an impromptu photoshoot with the size 10 red stilettos on sale in the shoe aisle of their local Walmart was the way to go.

And Jaemin, being the bird brained person he was, thought it was a brilliant idea.

The shoes were a tight fit. They squeezed like a vise around Jaemin’s toes and bit unforgivingly into his heels. But Donghyuck showered Jaemin in compliments as he instructed Jaemin to pose next to the bread display and clicked away at the shutter.

Now, standing in front of his long-time crush with high heels on his feet and a bra covering half of his face, Jaemin was starting to believe this wasn’t such a great idea after all.

Lee Jeno scratched the back of his head awkwardly and looked anywhere but at Jaemin.

Jaemin snatched the undergarment off his head and hurled it back at Donghyuck, giving his friend his best _imma kill you_ glare.

“I’m going to have to ask the two of you to leave,” Jeno said softly.

“Okey-dokey, no problem!” Jaemin managed to squeak out and turned to make a speedy exit. Leave? He was thrilled to leave! It was a miracle they weren’t being banned from the store.

“Wait-” Jaemin turned back around, heart full of anticipation. Ohmygod. Was Jeno, the muscle Adonis, trying to have a conversation with him?

Jeno pointed at Jaemin’s feet. “The shoes...I, um...assume you’re not buying them. I mean, not that I would judge you if you were! But I just thought, the shoe aisle is right there, and I could maybe just put them back and... yeah.” He was rambling, and Jaemin would’ve thought it was cute if he wasn’t dying of utter mortification.

“Oh yeah, let me just…”

Jaemin leaned one hand against the discarded clothing cart and used his other hand to try and pry the cursed shoes off his feet. Donghyuck had long abandoned the scene (probably to go flirt with the employee in the electronics section again). Some best friend he was.

The cart, having wheels, rolled and Jaemin stumbled.

Jeno caught him before Jaemin could face-plant onto the gross linoleum floor and gently guided him to sit on a waiting bench.

“Thanks,” Jaemin muttered and wondered what sin he must’ve committed in his past life to deserve this sort of humiliation. He tugged at the heels, but still they refused to leave his feet.

“Need some help?”

Jaemin’s face burned hotter with growing embarrassment. He could’ve fried an egg on his cheek, that’s how hot his face was.

“Yeah, I think my feet swelled or something,” Jaemin said as if he and Donghyuck hadn’t spent a full five minutes jamming his huge a$$ feet into the stilettos while giggling like maniacs.

Jeno knelt on one knee and placed a gentle hand on the back of Jaemin’s calf, holding his leg in place. Jaemin was fxxxing swooning. This wasn’t a Walmart. He was in a fairy tale. It was like he was Cinderella -no, _Min_ deralla. And Jeno was his Prince Charming.

Except Jeno was trying to take _off_ Jaemin's shoe.

And Jaemin's glass slipper was a red stiletto.

And they were in a _Walmart_.

Jeno firmly grasped the heel of the shoe and gave a mighty tug. Jaemin felt as if his foot was being yanked out of its socket, but the stiletto finally came off.

Jaemin wiggled his toes; they tingled as blood rushed back into them. He didn’t even have time to worry if his feet were stinky before Jeno was already pulling off the other shoe.

Jaemin sucked in a sharp breath as Jeno’s hand came in contact with one of the many blisters forming on the back of his heel. He cursed Donghyuck loudly in his head.

Jaemin sighed, “I’m gonna kill Hyuck.”

Jeno giggled and Jaemin wanted to ingrain the sound of it into his brain. “Careful, I think Mark would be heartbroken if you did.”

“Is that the kid from Electronics?” Jaemin wondered, inspecting the nasty blotch of red on the back of his right heel. He tentatively rose to his feet and winced.

Now where were his actual shoes...

“Ah, Lee Donghyuck my shoes- !” Jaemin groaned in frustration. He vaguely recalled shoving his flip-flops into Donghyuck’s camera bag despite his friend’s complaints about his dirty feet cooties contaminating his precious camera.

Jaemin huffed. For a second, he considered the risk of cramming his feet back into the cursed heels just so he wouldn’t have to stomp barefoot over to the Electronics section.

Jaemin dug into his pockets for his phone before realizing that it too had been placed in Donghuck’s camera bag for safe keeping. Wonderful.

“What’s the matter?” Jeno asked pleasantly. A+ for customer service, though Jaemin wasn’t planning on purchasing anything.

“Hyuck took my shoes _and_ my phone. And I don’t know what kind of diseases I might catch if I just walk barefoot all the way to the back of the store. Uh, no offense.” Jaemin glanced at the heels of his feet again. He was pretty sure they were oozing something (yikes) and didn’t want a closer look.

Jeno hemmed and rocked back on his heels. His expression suddenly brightened. “I have an idea. I’ll be right back.”

Jeno returned after a few minutes pushing an empty shopping cart.

“Get in, I’ll push you over there.”

“Umm…” Jaemin said, unsure and mind buffering.

Jeno’s eyes widened, “Oh right. Your feet must hurt. Here.”

Before Jaemin could react, Jeno had scooped him up (princess style) and deposited him in the shopping cart.

“Ah, thanks,” Jaemin said hesitantly. He was still processing what had just happened.

He must’ve looked confused because then Jeno asked, “Why? Did you want to sit in the baby seat?”

Jaemin blinks and then realizes _-oh_ , Jeno was joking. Lee Jeno the muscle god was joking with him. Jaemin laughed and Jeno smiled too. His eyes curved into pretty crescents, and Jaemin was fxxxing _enthralled_.

The two of them made small talk as Jeno pushed the cart over to the back of the Walmart. Jaemin tried not to gawk at the way Jeno’s arms flexed as he pushed the cart forward.

“Um, here…” Jeno awkwardly parked the shopping cart next to Donghyuck, who was sitting on the counter of the camera display.

Donghyuck was snapping pictures of Mark as he straightened the items in the glass case. Jaemin wanted to strangle him. Whatever happened to bros before hoes.

Jeno took a deep breath, like he was about to say something.

And then, “Okay. Bye Jaemin.” And ran away.

“That was the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen. He could’ve literally just called one of us from his own phone,” Mark said as he wiped down the display glass. “Hyuck, get off the counter.” Donghyuck hopped off with a pout. Mark ignored him.

Jaemin grinned at Donghyuck.

“Did you hear that?”

Donghyuck rolled his eyes, “Hear what?” He threw his camera bag into the cart next to Jaemin. And Jaemin eagerly dug through the bag for his shoes.

Jaemin’s smile widened.

“He knows my name.”

Donghyuck groaned, “Not this again- Jaemin, you guys have been in the same class since middle school.”

Jaemin chose to ignore that comment (small victories count!) and checked the time on his phone. There was fifteen minutes until eight.

“Hyuck. Hyuck!” Donghyuck was busy making heart eyes at Mark. And Mark continued to ignore him.

Jaemin banged on the side of the cart to get Donghyuck’s attention.

“Dude, what?”

“I gotta go, like right now!” Jaemin said, sliding on his flip-flops and attempted to clamber out of the cart. The cart nearly tipped over and Donghyuck rushed to right it.

“Why? Is your pumpkin carriage gonna disappear?” Donghyuck snarked, clearly with no intention of leaving as he went back to staring at Mark.

“No but my kdrama is on at eight and I will absolutely _end_ you if I miss the finale!” Jaemin finally managed to get out of the cart.

“Jeno’s shift ended a few minutes ago, you can probably catch a ride with him. I’ll message him real quick.” Jaemin heard the ping of a sent message before he had the chance to protest.

“Hyuck was supposed to take me home,” Jaemin whined. He glared at Donghyuck, unable to bear the thought of enduring a car ride with Jeno after _that_ mortifying situation.

“Well he can’t,” Mark said.

“Why not?” Jaemin asked, crossing his arms.

Mark rolled his eyes, “Because he’s getting dinner with me after my shift.”

“He is?!”

“I am?!” Donghyuck asked, eyes wide.

Mark gave Donghyuck a meaningful look. As if Jaemin didn’t know what that meant.

“Oh- oh yeah! Sorry Jaemin, can’t drive you home.” Donghyuck gave a weak smile.

“Plus, Jeno said he’d take you,” Mark added, waving his phone in proof.

And so that’s how Jaemin found himself sitting stiffly in Jeno’s car, on his way home.

They drove in silence for two whole minutes before Jaemin couldn’t bear the quiet any longer.

“Sorry for troubling you,” Jaemin said sulkily. He was going to break Donghyuck’s stupid camera for landing him in this situation.

Jeno laughed softly. “No worries.”

They fell into silence again. Jaemin gnawed at his lip, trying to think of something to say.

The car accelerated and Jaemin looked over at Jeno. “Um, how fast are you going?”

“Fourty?”

“Jeno...it’s a thirty zone.”

The car did not slow. Jeno was sitting stock straight in his seat, hands gripping the wheel.

“Jeno?”

Jeno cleared his throat, looking slightly terrified.

“Jaemin…”

“Yes?” Jaemin answered, growing increasingly worried. Jeno’s face was pale and he looked slightly sweaty.

“Do you...like bad boys?” Was he accelerating?

“wHaT?!” They were approaching a stop sign.

“No I don’t!” Jaemin practically shrieked. “brakebrakebrakeBRAKE!”

Jeno’s foot slammed on the brakes and they skidded to a halt before the stop sign.

“Oh thank god,” Jeno murmured.

A clueless squirrel pranced across the street in front of the car. Jeno and Jaemin both let out identical sighs. And Jeno drove five miles under the speed limit for the rest of the ride.

Once Jeno pulled up to Jaemin’s house, Jaemin clambered out of the car silently. Jeno sat still as a statue, thin lips turned up in a cringe.

Jaemin shut the door and rounded the front of the car to knock on the window of the driver’s seat. Jeno rolled it down.

“So…” Jaemin said.

“So…” Jeno replied dejectedly.

“I’ll cut you a deal. If I forget about what just happened, will you forget about the high heels?”

A startled laugh escaped Jeno’s lips, and the stiff tension between them dissolved.

“Let’s stay under the speed limit next time,” Jaemin said with a laugh.

“Next time?” Jeno repeated, eagerness tinting his voice.

“Well, I hope there is a next time.” Delight flooded Jaemin’s senses as he watched Jeno smile. The sight made Jaemin bold.

“Jeno, can I kiss you on the cheek?”

Jeno’s eyes widened in surprise and he nodded, turning to offer up the side of his face to Jaemin. His hands tightly gripping the steering wheel in anticipation.

Jaemin floundered for a moment, trying to figure out how to angle his head properly through the car window before finally leaning in.

He evidently took too long because Jeno turned to see what Jaemin was doing and their lips brushed against each other.

Jaemin jolted in shock, banging his head on the roof of the car. He yelped in pain.

By the time Jaemin finally made it home, he already missed half of his kdrama, there was a bruise lightly throbbing on the base of his skull, and his blistered ankles were stinging from exposure.

But at least he'd scored a date with his Prince Charming.

**Author's Note:**

> Yay!! I'm so happy I was finally able to finish :))  
> I struggled trying to come up with a decent ending, but I got some advice and it's done now 🥳 (thank you stickie~)


End file.
